That’s what the prime time game (8:30 p.m./NBC) is between these two NFC East rivals. Winner plays again. Loser doesn’t.

It’s that simple.

“We have an extra playoff game, that’s pretty much what it is,” center Jason Kelce said. “The NFC East title is on the line, obviously, so it’s big game for both teams, and, obviously, we have something to improve upon last time we played them, but we feel we’re playing better football now than we were back then.”

Things may have been made even simpler for the Eagles (9-6) who will play the Cowboys (8-7) without two vital pieces.

Quarterback Tony Romo and linebacker Sean Lee are out. Defensive end/linebacker DeMarcus Ware is questionable after not practicing on Friday. Ware missed the previous meeting between the two teams, which ended in a 17-3 Cowboys victory in Week Seven.

Veteran Kyle Orton will start under center on Sunday night.

“This is for everything,” receiver Dez Bryant said. “We’ve got to go out there and fight. We’re going to go out, lay it all out on the line and get this ‘W’ for Tony.”

On Thursday, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett still said there was still a chance Romo would play. About 24 hours later, Romo was having back surgery and is done for however much season remains for the Cowboys.

Garrett may have just tried to force the Eagles into preparing for not one, but two quarterbacks, since ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier in the week that the 33-year-old Romo was headed for surgery. Garrett defended his stance in a press conference with reporters on Friday.

“We spent the week exhausting all options in regards to Tony’s situation – treatment, rehab, all the different things, consulted a lot of different people on this,” the Dallas coach said. “We just felt like, as we discussed it, as (Thursday) wore on, that this was the best decision for him and for our organization moving forward.”

Meanwhile, the Eagles practiced all week as if it didn’t matter who the starting quarterback will be.

“I don’t think this changes their offense much just because of who the backup is,” Kelly said. “I think they are going to stick to what they do. They obviously have got playmakers in (receiver) Dez Bryant and (tight end, Jason) Witten. They are going to run the ball with DeMarco Murray, who didn’t play against us in the first game.”

Defensive coordinator Billy Davis echoed those sentiments.

The Eagles lost to back-up quarterback in Minnesota’s Matt Cassel jut two weeks ago, with Cassel utilizing a short, quick-strike passing attack and handed the ball 30 times to someone named Matt Asiata. Even though Asiata averaged just 1.7 yards, he was able to keep the Birds’ defense off balance.

Murray is better than Asiata, and the Eagles could see plenty of the Dallas back. He did not play in Dallas’ win on Oct. 20.

Orton, though, is unfazed if the game is put on his shoulders. He said earlier in the week that it’s not like he just signed on with the team. He has been in Dallas for the past two years and, even though the nine-year veterans has attempted just 15 passes over the previous two seasons, he owns 35 careers wins.

The Eagles’ quarterback, of course, hasn’t even made a full season’s worth of starts in his two-year career. Sunday will be his 16th career start, and he needs to show that he can beat the Cowboys, or at least play better than he did when he played them last time, a game that, for him, ended on the final play of the third quarter with a concussion.

Winners of three straight over the Eagles, the Cowboys remain the very definition of mediocrity. A loss today would leave them with their third straight 8-8 record.

They very well may have Foles’ number, though.

In their previous meeting, the quarterback was overwhelmed by the Cowboys’ defense and was inaccurate for the three quarters he played. Foles ended 11-for-29 for just 80 yards. Running back LeSean McCoy, who will look to become the Eagles’ first running back to lead the NFL in rushing since Steven Van Buren in 1949, had just 55 yards on 18 carries.

The common denominator in those numbers is the offensive line, which must play better than the Oct. 20 game.

Otherwise, there will be nothing simple about this “playoff” game at all.

“The offense is playing at a much better level now,” Kelce said. “I think that game and the New York Giants (a 15-7 loss on Oct. 27), those two games back to back were the two biggest roadblocks for us offensively. Then, defensively, you look at that Minnesota game (two weeks ago) as sort of an outlier. We’re excited. It’s a tough test against a good team in Dallas. Hopefully we take care of business.”

Ed Kracz: 215-345-3069;

email: ekracz@calkins.com;

Twitter: @kracze

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Follow Us

Advertise

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Bucks County Courier Times ~ 8400 N. Bristol Pk, Levittown, PA 19057 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service